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Chaos Space Marine Wargear [PROOF READING]

Submitted By: Date: August 22, 2004, 03:07:01 PM Views: 3567
Summary:  


This is an outline of Chaos-specific Wargear and Gifts.

Note that I may skip some entries in the Armory because they are not restricted to Chaos. This will still be very long, though, so have a little patience, please.

Marks of Chaos

Mark of Chaos Undivided: The basic Mark, worn by worshippers of Chaos who see it either as a pantheon of Gods, or as one whole, evil entity. In the game, models with the Mark of Chaos Undivided may reroll any failed Morale Checks- a very useful ability. Your basic Chaos Marine has Ld 9- very high for basic infantry. Giving him the ability to reroll Morale checks will ensure that trying to make a Chaos Marine squad fall back will be very difficult. Even though the Mark now has a points cost (in the old Codex, it didn't), it is still completely worth it. One point per model to allow a basic unit to reroll its failed Morale Tests is invaluable, especially in small, elite armies like Space Marine forces, where you cannot afford to have units falling back. It is also useful for Daemon Summoning purposes, as any kind of Daemon Pack can manifest itself next to a unit with the Mark.

Mark of Khorne: The Mark of the Blood God gifts units with a berzerker frenzy that causes them to charge headlong into combat. Models with the Mark of Khorne gain +1 Attack in close combat to represent this, and are made Fearless to boot.  There are also some other side effects. The most unfortunate is that units or models with the Mark of Khorne must always assault any unit within range, which means a good player can force you to assault units that are either unimportant, or too powerful for your Berzerkers, like a Wraithlord. They also have a 2 in 6 chance of jumping out of their transport (if they have one), and running right at the enemy, with an extra d6 move. They can also do this on foot (useful), allowing them to close with the enemy at a faster rate. They must always advance after winning a close combat, and cannot join and lead other units if they are characters, or be joined and led by a character without the Mark if they are units.

Mark of Slaanesh: The Mark of the Lord of Pleasure grants units and characters who possess it the Warp Scream special ability and Fearlessness. These make them ideal for close combat as they reduce enemy initiative and they do not have a chance of breaking if defeated. The Mark is also useful for influencing the weaponry of your squads, i.e you can use Slaaneshi Noise weapons, which are incredibly effective on the battlefield.

Mark of Nurgle: Nurgle's Mark gifts all units who bear it the Daemonic Resilience Gift and the True Grit ability.
These make them ideal troops in assaulting- with 5 Toughness they are difficult for most enemy units to kill, and with True Grit they can have the longer-ranged Bolter and still gain +1 Attack in CC for having two CCWs. Note, though, that models with the Mark of Nurgle cannot carry heavy weapons.

Mark of Tzeentch: Tzeentch's Mark has two different effects based on who it is given to:

For Independant characters, Chosen, and Possessed, they all gain the Sorcerer special rule and access to the Psychic Powers and wargear section of the armory, making these characters and squads very expensive, but very useful as well- imagine a whole squad of BS4 Doombolts! This is especially useful as the Mark also makes them pass all Psychic Tests automatically.

For anything else (Chaos Space Marines), they gain the Rubric Sign, which gives them the Daemonic Essence Gift and the Slow and Purposeful special rule, but also limits the weaponry they may have. These units are very useful for marching up the battlefield soaking up enemy shooting while dealing out a great amount of their own fire, as they shoot as if stationary. Remember that Aspiring Champions become Sorcerers, though, not Rubric models.

The Mark of Tzeentch has some drawbacks: first, it is more expensive than any other Mark, costing 10 points even for each member of a squad. Also, it does not allow models who possess it to be given Veteran Skills.


Weapons:

Bolt pistol: A simple, yet effective, weapon. Always a good and cheap thing to give an aspiring champion or independent character for a second attack in close combat.

Plasma pistol: Packs a big punch and also give a second close combat attack like a bolt pistol. Very useful to take on terminators or light tanks. It uses the "Get hot!" rule like plasma guns so it's a risk you take by giving it to an aspiring champion or independent character. I personaly never use it. Too expensive for the risk and with the 4th edition assault rules you usually never shoot before assaulting.

Chainfist: Works just like a power fist but has more effects on vehicles then a power fist. Only chose it over power fists if you are equiping a squad specifically to take on vehicles in close combat.

Lightning claws: The lightning claws are great because they ignore saves and allow you to reroll failed wound rolls. For their price they are not very useful on characters with a low number of attacks (like aspiring champions).  Best used by HQ with many attacks.

Power weapon: Always bad news when you face a squad equipped with a power weapon. Especially useful when used by a HQ which strikes at initiative 5 since it can kill many enemies before they get to act (enemies with a initiatve of 4 of course).

Power fist: The best weapon to give to an aspiring champion. In the 4th edition assault rules the aspiring champion cannot be singled-out anymore so the power fist becomes useful. Not only is it a great infantry killer it also adds flexibility to your squad because they can now take on vehicles or have a chance to defeat a dreadnought or Wraithlord that decides to charge them. For 15 points it's a must have for every champions. Do not give it to HQ because it makes them waste their higher initiative since they will strike last. Give them power weapons over power fists.


Two-handed weapons

Combi-bolter: The Chaos Marine equivalent of the Storm Bolter. It is two points cheaper but counts as a twin-linked weapon rather than an assault weapon. However, as it is most commonly found on vehicles and Terminators, it usually fires as if stationary, bringing it down to superior accuracy (re-rolls) and points efficiency vs. superior range (Storm Bolter).

Great Weapon: A new addition to the Chaos weapons list, great weapons are basically huge weapons that must be wielded two-handed but give a bonus to Strength. They are useful as cheap weapons to give to a Lord with Daemonic Stature, as he will ignore armor saves already.


Wargear

Chaos Hound: These guys are wargear that require a model and follow your character around. Their stat line is alright, except for the puny 6+ save.
They are a good way for boosting numbers in a Chaos squad (as long as you don't take transports as they eat up space), or a good way of adding combat ability to your lone Lord, as they have the same movement distance and add attacks (and maybe wounds) to him. A flying Daemon Prince might profit from having them with him, but be careful as they are expensive at 12 points each.

Chaos Space Marine Bike: Chaos Bikes add +1T and +1A to any model with one, come with a combi-bolter, and can also be upgraded to have a special weapon, either a meltagun, a plasma gun, or a flamer, allowing the rider to have a powerful shooting punch as well as good mobility. Chaos Lords on Bikes can be very tough as long as you back them up correctly. Just remember that the Bike's Toughness bonus is not cumulative with Daemonic Resilience.

Personal Icon: Basically a unit Icon for characters. This can be useful if you have a fast-moving HQ who travels mostly alone, but is wasted if he is going to accompany a squad. Personally, I don't think that 10 points is worth having two Icons in the squad.

Psychic Abilities and Equipment

Doombolt: this is a great ability for Sorcerers, especially if you go up against horde armies a lot. You have an assault Heavy Bolter, which can soften up many units before a charge. This is good for killing Eldar Aspect Warriors, as they are generally fielded in smaller squads and usually only have a 4+ save. Especially useful in Tzeentchian armies, where any squad may have a Sorcerer.

Familiar: useful for a dedicated Sorcerer, as it allows him to take two Major Psychic Powers. I'd advise giving it only to someone who's dedicated to using psychic powers, not to some Lord who only has Sorcerer to spice him up.

Gift of Chaos: This is useful as an 'assassination' spell, good for taking out powerful enemy models within 2" of your sorcerer. Does that Space Marine Commander bother you? You have a 1/2 chance of turning him into a Chaos Spawn! It is also a good way of getting more units in your army (Chaos Spawn), so there may even be a reason to use it on weaker models.

Mass Mutation: good for gamblers, but I recommend using it only on cheaper squads like Chaos Space Marines, and not your Chosen!


Minor Psychic Power: This varies greatly from God to God. Unfortunately, I do not have access to the Chaos Undivided list, so I will only discuss the God-specific abilities.

Nurgle Minor Psychic Powers: The Lord of Plagues really does not have very impressive minor powers. Nausea is worth mentioning, but with its measly range, chances are good the only thing you will affect greatly is a Guardian squad. Miasma of Pestilence can be useful against low leadership units, but again, the lack of range and the scatter can make using it a pain. Aura of Decay is actually useful, though, the -1 Attack can be very effective especially if it is combined with Blight Grenades. There is a small chance you will get your own men, but I think that the Nurgle Sorcerer's good Ld will pull you through most of the time.

Slaanesh Minor Psychic Powers: Slaanesh's powers are more interesting. Fuelled by Pain, Siren, and Touch of Slaanesh are all quite useful and worth the points expenditure. Beam of Slaanesh and She Who Thirsts also have a modicum of usefulness, though I find She Who Thirsts is conflicting with Aura of Acquiescence, but if your plan is to break the enemy and see them run for it, it is also quite useful, especially when combined with Daemonic Visage or Warp Amp.

Tzeentch Minor Psychic Powers: The Lord of Sorcery is a bit disappointing, but not so bad, either.. Reckoning of Tzeentch can be useful in some situations, as can Psychic Duel, though I don't really find Weaver of Fates to be very helpful. Pink Fire is a bust, and Withering Gaze... it can be handy.

Warp Focus: This item is not earth-shattering, but it has its uses. The points cost is a bit steep for just giving your powers an extra d6, though.

Warp Talisman: Handy for non-Tzeentchian Sorcerers. It's not often they will fail a psychic test, but you never know...

Wind of Chaos: Now this is a great power. A flamer that always wounds on a 4+ and ignores basic armor? Perhaps a bit overdone against low T enemies like Eldar, but worth every point when used against Marines or Necrons. Even inflicting one or two casualties is good enough to give you the edge in the assault. I recommend giving this to a Sorcerer who will be in close combat, he can use it before charging to good effect.

Daemonic Gifts

Daemon Armor: This is useful if you're expecting an army full of Dark Reapers, but AP 3 weapons are so rare I actually don't find it so useful. The reduction of failed saves from 1/3 to 1/6 makes it a good investment for an expensive character you wish to protect, though. I don't recommend giving it to Aspiring Champions.

Daemonic Aura: Handy for enemies notorious for ignoring power armor saves, but this should only ever be used as a security measure or a last-ditch defense. Never, EVER, rely on Daemonic Aura. It can make your Lord a little more survivable by allowing him saves against weapons that ignore his armor, but with only a 1/3 chance of saving, you should not be confident in this.

Daemon Chains: I think that every Daemonhost should have a set just in case, but they're hardly a priority or a necessity. If you can spare the points, it'll make you doubly sure of your GD's timely arrival, though.

Daemonic Essence: Good for increasing the survivability of a character, just too bad you can't give it to Champions. That one wound can be a life-saver.

Daemon Fire: Bleah. Honestly, don't bother. The points cost is low, but it has poor AP, short range, and nothing else to speak of about it. A Shuriken Catapult with less AP? Never use unless your character is out of hands to use weapons with.

Daemonic Flight: Jump Pack. Not much more to say, except to complain that it takes up Daemonic Gift allowances rather than Armory.

Daemonic Mutation: If you want to spend the points, feel free. The Mutation can be useful, but a bit pricey for just one attack.

Daemonic Resilience: Very useful. T5 is nothing to laugh at, though you should remember you are still vulnerable to insta-killing from S8 or S9 weapons. Good for giving your character staying power against S3 attacks, though- my Lord took on an entire Banshee squad and came out without a scratch.

Daemonic Rune: Unless you think you're going up against an enemy chock-full of weapons that can insta-kill you, or for some reason you think your Lord will always be alone with no one to cover him, don't take this, the points cost is huge.

Chaos Spawn: If your Lord is gonna footslog, this guy can be useful as ablative wounds, otherwise never mind him.


Daemonic Speed: Move as cavalry. What more need I say? You can choose to move as normal infantry, but there's no real point to doing that. Don't give this to Aspiring Champions as they cannot leave their squads behind.

Daemonic Strength: Handy, very handy. Gives you the edge over all basic infantry, I highly recommend giving it to all CC-oriented characters/squad Champions. Wounding on 3's and 2's instead of 4's and 3's is very useful.

Daemonic Stature: This is a double-edged sword, so to speak. It makes you immune to instant-kill at S8 and 9, but makes you Target of the Day as well. The Monstrous Creature rules and stat bonuses delivered by it can be good on a well-equipped Lord, though. This can create the ultimate CC monster with the right combination, or a big, 200-point waste with the wrong one. I say give it only to guys who will be shot at anyway (Berzerker Glaive wielders), or guys packing Dreadaxes, but it's up to you.

Daemonic Steed: Basically Daemonic Speed and Daemonic Resilience crammed together. They have the same points for ICs, but are relatively useless on squad Champions, so I think this is only useful for modelling purposes.

Daemonic Talons: Chaos Genestealers? Yes, please. These Talons are a good deal for cheap HtH upgrades. They are simple, but effective, especially when combined with Daemonic Strength. If you want armor-piercing power, though, I advise using a different weapon.

Daemonic Venom: Useful- not as good as Talons against vehicles, but pretty good against high Toughness monsters. Like Talons, though, I find they are most effective only when on an entire unit, so I don't really advise buying this for characters.

Daemonic Visage: Scary. If you want to break your enemy, this is a good choice. Otherwise, not too much to say about it, getting stuck in the open if an opponent flees is not always a good thing.

Veteran Skills

Counter-attack: This skill can be very helpful sometimes, although I would personally save the points and the single Vet Skill slot that comes on marked units.

Furious Charge: Good choice for assault units, just make sure you charge more than you get charged.

Infiltrate: Handy for putting a nasty CC/shooty support unit in a place the enemy really doesn't want them. A bit pricey, perhaps, so don't deck all your squads out with it.

Move Through Cover: Cheap and effective on boards with plenty of difficult terrain. A good investment for a footslogging assault unit in battlefields with rough terrain.

Night Vision: Not exactly so useful, unless you have a habit of rolling/playing Night Fight missions. Handy if you know beforehand you're playing Night Fight, for others, leave it at home.

Siege Specialists: Also another specialty skill, good for missions like Bunker Assault and just about nowhere else. Some advice: in Marked squads that can have only one Vet Skill, NEVER waste points on either this or Night Vision.

Skilled Riders: A must for any Bike squad. Just remember ICs already have it.

Tank Hunters: I advise giving this to any squad that you specifically dedicate to anti-tank duty, like Havocs. For squads that only carry one or two weapons with anti-tank power like regular CSMs, I find it wasteful. Another possibility is giving it to a Raptor squad with meltaguns and their customary Krak grenades. There is also the useful side-effect of passing tank shock morale checks automatically, but Chaos Marines do not break easily anyway and I don't think any opponent would voluntarily drive a tank TOWARDS a tank hunter unit.


Gifts of the Gods

Gifts of Khorne

Axe of Khorne: Same old, same old. The possibility of an extra attack can be worth five points.

Banner of Rage: The old Banner was good. The new banner is so-so. You'll need a squad of Chosen, and making sure that they all get into base to base in order to actually use the Banner to the best effect may be difficult.

Collar of Khorne: An excellent item for its points cost. It's a good way to keep your expensive, pumped-up Champions from being mind warred into oblivion. A definite must when playing against any Tzeentchian/Eldar army.

Berzerker Glaive: A very poweful weapon, but with several drawbacks. If you want to give it to your Lord, fine, but I advise just going all-out- give him Stature and Flight to control his movement and make the most out of your full target status.

Feel No Pain: An excellent investment for your Champions/Lord. They gain better survivability for a relatively low points cost.

Juggernaut of Khorne: Very effective for footslogging characters, including unit Champions. Makes you tougher, stronger, and gives you more chances to spill blood for Khorne.

Khornate Chainaxe: Good if you face power-armored foes a lot- giving a Berzerker one of these makes them the same points cost as in the old Codex with a few added advantages like running at your opponent and lowering max armor saves.

Rage of Khorne: If you want to take this, make sure that you charge often... I really think this ability is kind of overrated. It's expensive and a gamble.

Talisman of Burning Blood: The centerpiece of the new Khorne footslogger army. An absolute must for every infantry Berzerker squad.

Gifts of Nurgle

Blight Grenades: Handy, as long as you get the charge. It's a bit expensive, but definitely worthwhile as it extends to the squad.

Manreaper: Really useful for 'scything' down your enemies. Try to use Manreaper-equipped Characters against large squads as much as possible (rather obvious).

Nurgling Infestation: This could have its uses, though I definately do not think it is a necessity. The extra attacks may come in handy, so you might want to consider it if you have the points to spare.

Nurgle's Rot: For the points cost, it's a steal. If it kills even one enemy, it's paid for itself already.

Pandemic Staff: I can see a limited use for this against low toughness, low save enemies like Guardsmen or Eldar Guardians. If you roll enough dice, those 4+ to hit and wound will appear sometime. For anything tougher, don't bother.

Plague Sword: Very handy. You can finish off the toughest characters with a lucky roll. I think it is worth the points.

Plague Banner: A very good banner, though somewhat unreliable, it is fun to watch your opponent's face when you cut down 6 members of a squad...I'd love to try using this against Harlequins. It's random, and very expensive, though.

Gifts of Slaanesh

Allure of Slaanesh: There is a limited use to this, getting opponents within charge range, but I don't think it's worth the amount of points it costs.

Aura of Acquiescence: This can conflict with several other abilities like Daemonic Visage, Lash of Torment, and Warp Amp, but it can be good to keep enemies from breaking so you can cut them down during their own turn.

Combat Drugs: Worth every point. The slim chances of your character dying or getting wounded are more than offset by the sheer usefulness of this item. It's an essential part of the trademark Slaanesh Killing Machine.

Lash of Torment: This is good for keeping your Lord safe while using his whole complement of attacks- you can keep him behind other models while attacking normally. Also useful for if you only get into base contact with a few models. The ld-lowering effect is worthwhile, as well, but not a good choice for combining with the Aura of Acquiescence.

Needle of Desire: I don't see how this item can be so useful. Only good for multi-wound big creatures, but the thing is it never ignores armor saves! Also, those things tend to have good leadership, so good luck wounding them more than once.

Rapturous Standard: Could be useful if you want to give your Chosen a chance at not getting battered to death, but if you need to use it, chances are good they're in trouble.

Steed of Slaanesh: Combination of Daemonic Mutation and Speed, and actually more cost-effective for independent characters! If you want your Lord to move alone, I recommend this.

Gifts of Tzeentch

Bedlam Staff: Very useful, gives you time to hammer down tough enemy characters if you can wound even once. The lower strength, higher initiative Chaos Thunder Hammer.

Blasted Standard: This is a killer. Don't waste it on any normal squad, use it on a tough squad, like Banshees. An excellent solution for nasty CC units, combined with the rest of the Chosen squads powers/shooting, this is almost guaranteed to kill off an entire squad.

Bolt of Change: Strong, but not as strong as Flames of Tzeentch was. Still good for heavy firepower and anti-tank ability in your squads, though.

Eye of Tzeentch: One re-roll per turn, for that many points? Not overly useful.

Inferno Bolts: Excellent troop killers. A squad of Chosen bearing these can kill almost any infantry squad. Thing is, they are very expensive.

Disc of Tzeentch: Points efficient, but no followers allowed? I wouldn't recommend it for any model heavy on the sorcery, as it is more of an assault upgrade.

Talisman of Tzeentch: Good investment for armies that pack psykers, like Eldar.

Thrall Wizard: Excellent for dedicated Sorcerer models- they let you cast more spells and provide ablative wounds at the same time.

Twisting Path: Short-ranged, but handy against low-ld units. Could be worth a gamble in missions with VPs, especially if the Sorcerer has Thralls which will let him attempt to use it twice.

Warp Blade: My biggest complaint about this is the lack or range of its special ability. Can scare enemy psykers, though.


Daemon Weapons

Dark Blade: Good value for points, I advise it on a CC-oriented guy. The Mastery test is not hard to pass with CSM leadership being what it is.

Dreadaxe: A very controversial piece of wargear, this is the Chaos answer to Seer Councils. I advise giving only to models with Daemonic Stature, though, so they penetrate all saves with only 4+ to wound required for anything they face.

Ether Lance: It's expensive, but it's also a powerful, Space Marine killing flamer. With the low AP, it is good for killing most power-armored units, and with the strength, it is a good weapon for low toughness units. I've used it on a combination of both (Eldar Striking Scorpions and Dark Eldar Incubi) to excellent effect.

Kai Gun: If you want someone to just sit back and blaze away, this is the weapon of choice.

Vehicle Upgrades

Blasphemous Rune: Not too shabby for clearing away unwanted squads from the front of your tank. The points cost is reasonable for the effect, though it's a bit specialized.

Coruscating Warp Flame: Annoyed by units who constantly take Krak Grenades, Haywire Grenades, or Meltabombs on your tanks? The solution is here! Even if they successfully destroy it, this is guaranteed to take one or two out in return. A bit expensive, though, but excellent against models who have low saves. Not really worth it against Scorpions or Marines, at its points cost. I do think it can be handy on a Dreadnought, though.

Daemonic Possession: Cheaper than before, but just as effective. Good for making your Predator or Dreadnought keep going and going and going...

Destroyer: Expensive, but not really too useful. Too expensive for expendable Rhinos, and could be a waste on Predators or Land Raiders. For Dreadnoughts, you can consider it.

Dirge Caster: Utterly useless in any cult army, and I don't think it has real use even in armies with the Mark of Undivided, who can reroll Morale checks and have high leadership. Also suffers from limited range.

Havoc Launcher: Handy for increasing the amount of fire that a vehicle can put out.

Living Vehicle: Gives the vehicle the ability to defend itself or even attack, but I don't think it's worth it as most units coming near a vehicle will probably be armed to destroy it.

Mutated Hull: The former Nurgling Infestation is now allowed to everyone and is cheaper, to boot. Good to ensure better survivability in your vehicles, but do not waste on Rhinos.

Parasitic Possession: Handy for insuring your vehicle doesn't just stop dead or get its weapons all blown off, but again, do not waste on Rhinos.

Pintle Combi-Bolter: Expensive and with limited range- even if you turn it into the slightly more useful Combi-Melta or Combi-Flamer, you can't move very far and shoot it.

Warp Amp: Make your enemy run away...Chaos seems to be doing well on this. Although expensive, I think the best vehicles to put it onto would be either Rhinos, Dreadnoughts, or Land Raiders, as these are the only ones with any need to go near enemies.

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